Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[salalachang]

Hi there,


I just can't figure out the difference btw the following sentences,

(a) His schoolwork stands out from that of "the others" in his class.
(b) His schoolwork stands out from that of "others" in his class.

Which one is more acceptable in English? Could you be so kind as to
tell me the anser, thanks a lot.



Salala

[mudd]

[Linda Correli]

I guess that it is better to say the others. You see, when we put definite article before noun or pronoun, we imply some concrete, definite object or person. E.g. Milk is useful. But! The milk that I bought yesterday was sour.
_________________
Writing is a learned skill!

[pugachevV]

I think if you say, His schoolwork stands out from that of "the others" in his class. it means his schoolwork stands out more than everyone else in his class.

If you say, His schoolwork stands out from that of "others" in his class.
it means that his schoolwork stands out, but it may not be the only work that stands out. There may be some of his classmates who also do work that stands out.